US Pre-Clearance Declaration Requirement

Wednesday, 15 February 2012 11:00
News Editor

U.S. Currency and Monetary Instruments Reporting Requirements

The U.S. Embassy would like to remind travelers that, while it is legal to transport any amount of currency and/or other monetary instruments into or out of the United States, a traveler who is departing on a pre-cleared flight to the United States from Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau or Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport, and who is transporting, attempts to transport, or causes to be transported, currency and/or other monetary instruments in an aggregate amount exceeding U.S. $10,000 (or an equivalent amount in foreign currency) at one time, must report such amounts to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and file a Report of International Transportation of Currency or Monetary Instruments (FinCEN 105) with CBP prior to departure.

See 31 U.S.C. §§ 5316, 5317, 5324, and 5332. Family members traveling together that file a family declaration must file this report (FinCEN 105) when the total combined amount of currency or other monetary instruments that is carried by the family members is over U.S. $10,000 (or foreign equivalent).

If someone else transports, mails or ships currency and/or monetary instruments in an aggregate amount exceeding U.S. $10,000 (or its foreign equivalent) into or out of the United States on your behalf, then you are also required to report the total amount to CBP.

Failure to comply with these requirements may result in civil and criminal penalties and may lead to forfeiture of your monetary instrument(s). For further information regarding these legal requirements, please consult the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act (P.L. 97-258, 31 U.S.C. 5311, et seq.) and its implementing regulations (31 CFR Part 1010).